Beyond Protection: In the Wake of the Moscow Domodedovo Airport Terrorist Attack

The failure of counterintelligence to prevent and pre-emptively disrupt terrorist plans and networks is highlighted in this paper as the single most critical flaw highlighted by the Domodedovo attack and other recent terrorist incidents in Russia. When considering the terrorist attack at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport perpetrated on 24 January 2011 it is important to consider the broader security and policy implications. This paper describes how this latest incident in a long series of mass-casualty attacks in Russia is similar to and different from previous ones. It reviews some of the general flaws in public transport security and in the protection-centred measures undertaken in response to the blast. It notes that the fundamental socio-political causes of terrorism will persist in Russia for the foreseeable future, arguing that effective counterterrorism is about minimising terrorist manifestations under given conditions. It questions the excessive focus on physical protection measures and argues for a better balance between protection and resilience strategies. It identifies the failure of counterintelligence to prevent and pre-emptively disrupt terrorist plans and networks as the single most critical flaw highlighted by the Domodedovo attack and other recent terrorist incidents in Russia